5 1. Executive Summary The CROIS project was a partnership project run between the University of Greenwich and France Business School and selected for funding within INTERREG IV A. The aims of the CROIS project were to: - Raise aspirations and university perceptions in French and English pupils - Promote foreign language learning - Improve social cohesion and citizenship - Improve parents perceptions of university and their relationship with their child s school - Identify common issues in France and England and share skills and expertise - Communicate the project findings The project engaged 160 pupils aged from areas of high deprivation within England and France with university student mentors from the University of Greenwich and France Business School. Pupils participated in a number of activities designed to raise their aspirations towards, and perceptions of, university. These activities were held within school, however culminated in a cross border exchange programme with pupils from partner schools. Pupils visited France and England where they participated in cultural, environmental and sports activities. The activities on the exchange visits were designed to promote communication and language learning between French and English pupils and also to improve social cohesion and pupils sense of citizenship. Feedback from pupils involved in the CROIS project was positive, the exchange visits were enjoyed and pupils benefited from the input and expertise of the university mentors. Pupils indicated that the cross cultural cooperative activities they participated in lead to improved impressions of those from another country. Research undertaken demonstrated that university perceptions were higher in CROIS students after the exchange programme compared to a control group. This directly supports the project aim of raising aspirations and improving university perceptions in French and English pupils. Mentors developed important employability skills such as leadership, teamwork and flexibility, and student mentors experiences were shared with other university pupils to encourage participation in future projects such as CROIS. Research findings were disseminated through national and international conferences and bespoke dissemination events in both France and England. 5 P a g e

7 Deliverables The table below shows all actions/deliverables for the CROIS project and how they were delivered. It also demonstrates which CROIS objective each action links to (the CROIS objectives can be seen on page 17). Pupil Activities Action / Deliverable Link to project aim How was this delivered 160 pupils involved 1 - raise aspirations 80 pupils from France and 80 pupils for England were involved with CROIS activities 32 interactions between pupils and mentors for exchange visit 2 common interests and promoting language Pupils had a session specifically designed to prepare them for the exchange visits 192 interactions between pupils and mentors on aspirations 1 raise aspirations The first two sessions with mentors were focussed on this, and the then ran throughout all the sessions and exchange visits. 80 virtual exchanges 2 common interests and promoting language 4 student exchange visits 2 common interests, social cohesion and citizenship 160 pupils participated in the video conferences In each of the 2 years of the project and exchange visit was held in France and England 80 cross border youth interviews 2 common interests and promoting language Pupils interviewed one another on both years of the exchange visit in England 4 visits to sports organisations 2 common interests and promoting language These visits occurred as part of the exchange visits. 2 happened in each year of the project (1 in France and one in England) 4 cross border environmental and heritage site visits 4 cross border student advisory board meetings 2 common interests, social cohesion and citizenship 2 common interests and promoting language These visits happened in both years of the project, 2 in France and 2 in England A student advisory board meeting was held towards the end of each exchange visit and influenced the following visit. 7 P a g e

9 Mentor employability Action / Deliverable Project Aim How Delivered 46 university students involved in employability 2 cross border exchanges between mentors on employability 4 Cross border capacity building 2 Cross cultural common interests and promoting language Parent Activities Mentors involved in CROIS engaged in a session on employability skills. A further session was delivered to a wider group of pupils Mentor employability was discussed during the exchanges. In addition to this there is an employability video on the CROIS website Action / Deliverable Project Aim How Delivered 8 family engagement events 3 improve social cohesion and relationship with child s school 4 were held in year one of the project (1 per school) but these weren t well attended. These were not held in year parents involved (50 per school per country) 3 improve social cohesion and relationship with child s school Research All pupils parents were involved with the project, either through researchers or teachers Action / Deliverable Project Aim How Delivered Cross border survey with 2000 participants 4 increase knowledge of common issues 1516 pupils have completed the questionnaires. Approximately another 500 will be completed and added to the data 32 focus groups 1 improve attitudes towards higher education 16 parental focus groups 3 improve attitudes towards higher education 47 pupils engaged in focus groups with researchers regarding aspirations 4 parental focus groups were held in year one but these were not well attended or enjoyed by parents so they were not held again. 9 P a g e

11 Research articles National conferences International conferences 5 communicate cross border findings 5 communicate cross border findings 5 communicate cross border findings Administration Research articles findings of CROIS will be submitted to journals in 2014 The CROIS findings were shared at the 2013 BPS conference The CROIS findings were at events in both Hong Kong and the Philippines Action / Deliverable Project Aim How Delivered 8 Management meetings 4 maximise cross border collaboration 3 steering group meetings 4 maximise cross border collaboration 4 bilingual reports 5 communicate cross border findings 2 bilingual films 5 communicate cross border findings 9 management meetings were held over the course of the project 5 steering group meetings were held over the course of the project 4 reports have been written and can be seen on the CROIS website A video introducing CROIS and videos of the dissemination events can be seen on the website Bilingual webpage 5 communicate cross border findings 50 language skills training 2 promote cross border learning of language These sessions were held in mentor sessions in year one and in school language sessions in year 2 11 P a g e

13 Communication Action / Deliverable Project Aim How Delivered 4 press releases 5 communicate cross border findings 2 press releases were sent in each country 8 cross border youth tourism guides disseminated Professional development events 150 staff involved in final events 2 improve social cohesion and sense of citizenship 5 communicate cross border findings 5 communicate cross border findings This was changed to 1 overall guide that all pupils contributed to 3 dissemination events were held in France and 2 in England Over 400 people were invited to the CROIS dissemination events. 116 people were in attendance Bilingual lexicon 4 - sharing expertise This was produced and can be found on the website Open bilingual evaluation toolkit 4 - sharing expertise This can be found following the link on the CROIS website 13 P a g e

15 2. Introduction and Background Research This is the fourth, and final, report of the CROIS project, the aim of which was to engage with teachers, parents, school pupils, university students, practitioners, local services and academics to raise awareness of common interests through joint activities in two regions: Swale in the UK and Picardie in France. This report covers the entirety of the CROIS project. Detailed information regarding each stage of the project can be found in the previous three quarterly reports (available on the CROIS website The focus of the CROIS project was on mentoring and cross-cultural exchange activities between pupils in schools in France and the UK in order to increase pupils sense of belonging as citizens, thus expanding the young people s horizons to increase their aspirations and educational choices. This focus reflected national and international government initiatives (e.g. Passeport and Project Amition Réussite in France and the former Aimhigher initiative in England) aimed at increasing pupil s access to higher education and enhance employability skills for young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Previous research using University students as ambassadors or mentors demonstrated a positive impact on young people s plans for future study in Aimhigher programmes (Hatt, Baxter and Tate, 2007). This research found that taster visits to universities and activities with ambassadors contributed to reducing perceived barriers and to increasing interest and aspirations towards university. UK Government research demonstrates the benefit and importance of learning outside of the classroom. Ofsted s 2008 report in the UK titled Learning Outside the Classroom states that wellplanned activities occurring outside of the classroom can enhance pupil s learning and can also reengage unmotivated pupils. The report concluded that activities conducted outside of the classroom contributed to improving pupils personal, social and behavioural development. UK research Benefits of Outdoor Learning, a report by the School Travel Forum, states that participating in new activities on school trips can change attitudes and raise aspirations and attainment, in addition to increasing a young person s sense of belonging and benefiting pupil s interpersonal and social skills. Parental disengagement with school is an issue which is experienced in both England and France. The CROIS project aimed to increase communication and relationships between parents, schools and children via cultural awareness activities held in schools. The CROIS project built on the success of the completed Interreg III micro project in Medway, UK and St Omer and Lille in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France (ref 162/011/454). This project worked with a small group of students from England and France who were at risk of early school drop-out and engaged them with university ambassadors. 15 P a g e

17 The main objectives of the CROIS project were: 1) To identify factors, and put in place cross-border interventions, to raise aspirations and improve French and English pupils perceptions of higher education. 2) To improve social cohesion and a sense of citizenship, raise awareness of cross-cultural common interests and promote mutual cross border learning of language and culture. 3) To reinforce parents, from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, sense of belonging within the community, social cohesion, attitudes towards higher education and relationships with their child s school. 4) To maximise the effectiveness of cross border collaboration and capacity building. In addition, to identify and increase knowledge of common issues in the two regions; sharing skills, expertise and experiences throughout the project to ensure best practice. 5) To communicate cross border findings and outputs across the Interreg IVA eligible regions and more widely. 17 P a g e

19 3. Organisation of the CROIS project The CROIS project was led by Professor Pamela Maras from the University of Greenwich, in partnership with Christophe Crabot (May 2010 May 2012) and Christophe Wells (from May 2012 onwards) from France Business School, Amiens Campus. Christophe Crabot left France Business School but remained on the project steering group for the duration of the CROIS project. We refer throughout this report to France Business School, this was formally known as Amiens School of Management (Group Sup de Co) and became FBS after a name change in January Both institutions had a dedicated project manager who worked alongside research and support staff to achieve the aims of the project. Staff from the University of Greenwich and France Business School worked with teachers and pupils from The Isle of Sheppey Academy 1 and Sittingbourne Community College in Kent and Collège César Franck and Lycée Jean-Baptiste Delambre in Picardie. The aim was to raise pupils aspirations, to improve social cohesion and promote pupil s understanding of a foreign language and culture. The regions in France and England were selected because, not only were they regions eligible for Interreg funding, but also because these areas have pockets of high deprivation, specifically where the schools are situated. Within areas of high deprivation there tend to be significant health inequalities, income deprivation and lower levels of educational achievement. Both areas, and the schools involved specifically, have historically reported low numbers of pupils going to university. The two English schools, located in the borough of Swale, are located within some of the most deprived areas of Kent. The two French schools, located in Amiens, are located within some of the most socially deprived areas in northern France. In addition to the four schools listed, the project also had representation from a number of other partners in England and France. Partners included local authorities, a sports organisation and a charity. Local authorities were invited as partners because of their knowledge of the local area and their ability to assist with the environmental aspects of the project. The sports organisation and charity were invited to be part of the CROIS project due to their work with disaffected young people. A full list of partners can be seen in the acknowledgements on page 72. Throughout the CROIS project regular management and steering group meetings were held in order to plan aspects of the project and to ensure that targets and deliverables were all on track. As seen below, the University of Greenwich and France Business School took it in turns to host these meetings, and all partners were invited to attend and contribute. 1 As of 1 st January 2014 the Isle of Sheppey Academy was renamed Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey 19 P a g e

21 CROIS Meetings: Meeting Type Location Date Management Meeting France Business School June 2010 Management Meeting University of Greenwich September 2010 Management Meeting France Business School May 2011 Steering Group University of Greenwich September 2011 Management Meeting University of Greenwich September 2011 Steering Group France Business School January 2012 Management Meeting France Business School January 2012 Steering Group University of Greenwich July 2012 Management Meeting University of Greenwich July 2012 Steering Group University of Greenwich January 2013 Management Meeting France Business School January 2013 Management Meeting University of Greenwich July 2013 Steering Group University of Greenwich November P a g e

23 4. Pupil Activities Over a two year period the CROIS project worked with 160 pupils across four schools in the UK and France. Male Female Total French English Table 1. Pupils involved in the CROIS project between September 2011 December 2013 The project linked school pupils with mentors from either the University of Greenwich or France Business School. Mentors attended in-school sessions with the pupils where a number of activities took place over the course of the school year, many focussed on raising pupils aspirations towards university. The schools involved in the CROIS project have historically had a low percentage of pupils continuing on to higher education, so these activities were designed to dispel some of the myths associated with attending university and to show pupils that university could be a viable option for them. All of the mentor activities are explained in detail below. In total 48 university students acted as mentors over the course of the project, providing support to the pupils and giving the mentors the opportunity to improve their employability skills by developing important leadership and teamwork skills. Mentor employability is discussed further in the Benefits section on page 63. Male Female Total French English Table 2. University students involved as mentors in CROIS project between September 2011 December 2013 To assist with communication during the English exchange visits, four students from the University of Greenwich were appointed to work as translation assistants. These students helped both pupils and mentors with translation during all exchange activities. A summary of activities carried out in each of the mentor sessions is provided below. Mentor sessions, designed by an educational consultant from the UK Company PM4E, followed the same format in both England and France. Feedback and learning from the first year of the project influenced the sessions in the second year. 23 P a g e

25 Mentor sessions Mentor Session 1 In the first session pupils were shown a bilingual video introducing the CROIS project and giving an overview of all the activities that would be happening throughout the project. The pupils were introduced to the mentors and the group participated in an icebreaker activity. This was to make the pupils feel at ease with one another and the mentors, and to allow pupils and mentors to get to know one another. Pupils then participated in a short quiz which was designed to get them thinking about their exchange country (French about England and English people and vice versa) and about university education. This session was primarily to introduce the pupils to their mentors and to introduce the CROIS project, but also to introduce the idea of going to university into pupils minds. Figure 1. English students meeting mentors in the first mentor session in England Mentor Session 2 The second mentor session was designed to build on the relationships that were made in the first session and to further expand on the topic of going to university. Student mentors worked with small groups of pupils on widening participation activities; where pupils discussed possible barriers to attending university. An Agony Aunt activity presented pupils with a number of letters from young people citing various difficulties they were having, mostly towards their future career and whether to attend university. Pupils were encouraged by mentors to come up with responses to the letters offering guidance as to how the young person might deal with their issue. This activity encouraged pupils to identify barriers they could face when considering university, and strategies to solve these problems. 25 P a g e

27 In addition to this, pupils and mentors participated in a speed dating activity, where mentors moved around small groups of pupils, answering questions about different aspects of university life. These included financial aspects, decisions on which courses and universities to select, how to manage workload and what day-to-day life was like as a university student. This was a great opportunity for pupils to ask questions that they might not have been given the opportunity to ask before and, since the pupils and mentors were in small groups, pupils felt confident enough to ask questions that might have been harder to ask in a full classroom setting. The activities undertaken in this session not only gave pupils more information about university and dispelled some of the negative impressions about university that some pupils had, it also strengthened relationships between pupils and mentors. Figure 2. Mentor and pupil speed dating activity in France Mentor Session 3 A third activity allowed pupils from England and France to meet via a videoconference. This offered the pupils the chance to ask each other questions and to put their language skills into practice. These video conferences were hosted by France Business School and the University of Greenwich. During the videoconference pupils presented information about themselves and their school day and asked each other questions. This was a good opportunity to find out about the pupils in the other country, which helped to ease nerves prior to the exchange visits. 27 P a g e

29 Figures 3 & 4. Photos of the French and English pupils participating in the video conference Mentor Session 4 The aim of the fourth mentor session was to prepare pupils for the exchange visits between France and England and vice versa. In this session pupils were encouraged to think up topics of conversation and things that they might have in common with pupils from the partner country, and also how to ask these questions in partner pupils language. In addition to this, pupils worked with mentors, teachers and project staff to develop a code of conduct that they would all follow while away from school. Finally pupils developed a list of items that they should and should not bring with them on the trip. This session built on the conversations that the pupils started during the video conference and encouraged them to think about what else they would like to know about each other. This contributed to the project aims of identifying cross cultural common interests and also developing pupils language skills. Language Skills Training Pupils, mentors and project staff in both countries were offered language skills training in the first year of the project to facilitate communication. Within the universities these sessions were delivered by modern foreign language lecturers, and were held at lunch times for both project staff and mentors to attend. Within the schools these sessions were delivered by modern foreign language teachers and were held as part of the sessions with the university mentors. Feedback from pupils and teachers was that, although having the opportunity to practice speaking another language was beneficial to the pupils, these sessions could be incorporated into compulsory school language lessons instead. To ensure that pupils time with mentors was as beneficial as possible, language sessions were not part of the mentor time in the second year of the project. This resulted in pupils benefiting from additional quality time with the mentors looking at topics such as widening participation. 29 P a g e

31 Logo Competition In the first year of the CROIS project, pupils in France and England were invited to participate in a competition to design a logo that would be used throughout the project. Pupils were told that the logo needed to represent the two countries working together. This activity encouraged the pupils to think about what cross border cohesion really meant to them and also encouraged healthy competition. Figure 5. Picture of the winning CROIS logo, designed by a French pupil. The winning logo, designed by a French pupil, was simplified and printed onto hooded sweatshirts, along with the Interreg logos as required, that were given to all students involved in the CROIS project. The sweatshirts can be seen below. Figure 6. Sweatshirts showing winning CROIS logo and Interreg logos. 31 P a g e

33 Exchange visits Pupils from each year of the project were invited to participate in an exchange visit in both the partner country and their own country. In the first year of the project 39 French pupils visited in England for two days on 19 th and 20 th March 2012, followed by 38 English pupils visiting France for two days on 28 th and 29 th March Feedback from the first year of the exchange was that the exchange visits were very rushed and that pupils were very tired as a result of this. A decision was made to extend the exchange visits to three days for the second year of the project. In the second year 23 English pupils visited France from 4 th to 6 th February 2013, followed by 37 French pupils visiting England from 25 th to 27 th March. Exchanges involved many cooperative activities that were designed to facilitate communication, promote the learning of language, to broaden horizons and to raise awareness of cross cultural common interests. These activities are explained in detail below. French pupils exchange visit to England In line with the project s aim to raise pupil aspirations and to encourage pupils to consider university, the exchange visit in England included a tour of the University of Greenwich. Initiatives such as Aimhigher have shown this to improve aspirations in young people. This experience provided pupils the opportunity to ask questions about university life and see what it might be like to attend Figure 7. French and English students on University of Greenwich campus tour Whilst visiting the University of Greenwich, time was allocated for French and English pupils to interview one another. This task was important as it allowed pupils to develop their language skills by speaking to one another and listening to the answers given. It also gave pupils the opportunity to identify common interests that they share with pupils from the partner country. Both of these were aims of the CROIS project. 33 P a g e

35 Pupils were given time to think up questions and to work out how to ask those questions in the partner language, before pupils then sat and asked their questions of each other. Translation assistants were key to the success of this activity; they moved around the room and helped pupils to translate their questions into the partner language and practice the pronunciation. Figure 8. French and English pupils interviewing each other at University of Greenwich Sports activities on the exchange visit in England were provided by project partner organisation Charlton Athletic Community Trust. Activities organised by the trust ranged from basketball and football to bench ball and salsa dancing. Sports activities enhanced pupil relationships, with many pupils and mentors citing this as the activity that facilitated the most conversation and created the strongest bonds. This activity supported the aim of identifying cross cultural common interests, with pupils reporting that they felt that sport is a universal language. Sport is a world wide thing and when we were doing the football we talked to them much more. Male pupil, Isle of Sheppey Academy Figure 9. Sports activities at the University of Greenwich, run by Charlton Athletic Community Trust 35 P a g e

37 In the first year of the project pupils were taken on a coach tour of the Olympic village in Stratford prior to the Olympics in 2012, an opportunity that all pupils found enjoyable. This met the aim of identifying cross-cultural common interests, since most pupils were very excited about the upcoming Olympic games. In line with the environmental objectives of the project pupils visited an environmental site that once was home to a gunpowder factory. Here they learnt about how gunpowder was made in the past but also about the ecological importance of the site today. An evening bowling trip in the seaside town of Whitstable served as a great opportunity to strengthen relationships. English pupils exchange visit to France The historical and environmental aspects of the French exchange involved visiting the Somme battlefields and memorials to pay tribute to those fallen in the war. This was a humbling experience for all involved in the project, as the sheer number of people who lost their lives was evident at the memorials. Snow was falling as pupils had a short walk around the battlefields, making them truly appreciate how lucky they are to not be involved in such a war. This trip supported the project aim of improving social cohesion and citizenship, as pupils learnt more about what happened during the war and how that has helped to shape their life today. Figures 10 & 11. Somme battlefields and a grave of an unnamed soldier Back in Amiens, French and English pupils participated in a treasure hunt around the historic town, where they needed to pick up souvenirs to evidence where they had been. This activity prompted communication and learning of language between the French and English students as they had to work together to plan their route. 37 P a g e

39 Picture 12 & 13. Mentor and their group of students outside Amiens Cathedral, on the exchange visit in France In the evening the English pupils were invited to play traditional wooden Picardy games. These games were enjoyed by all and prompted some healthy competition between pupils, mentors, teachers and project staff. These games helped to meet the project aims of promoting common interests and improving communication between the French and English pupils. Figures 14 & 15. Students enjoying the Picards games on the exchange visit in France French and English pupils took part in sports activities whilst in Amiens. A relay race, conceptualised by the French charity and project partner Association MDR, involved racing round Saint Pierre Park in Amiens. The relay baton was passed from pupil to mentor, then to teacher and project staff. These mixed teams were to represent aspirations and cross cultural working. 39 P a g e

41 Figure 16. Pupils taking part in the relay race on the exchange visit in France. On the final day of each exchange visit the pupils experienced school life in another country. Pupils attended lessons and had a tour of the partnering school to demonstrate the similarities and differences with their own school. French pupils enjoyed the novelty of English school uniforms whilst English pupils were very impressed by the facilities at the Lycée, especially their facilities for learning car mechanics. The motor mechanics that they had was massive. They had a huge building with literally a couple of hundred cars in it. We have a garage. One engine maybe. Bit pathetic. Male pupil, Isle of Sheppey Academy Figure 17. French and English pupils, mentors and staff say goodbye at the Isle of Sheppey 41 P a g e

43 Student Advisory Board During each exchange visit a student advisory board was held with a group of French and English pupils. These meetings allowed pupils to feed back on what components of the exchange visits they enjoyed, what they did not enjoy, and to suggest improvements that could be made for future exchange visits. Feedback from each meeting influenced the activities and planning of the next exchange visit. For example, feedback from pupils involved in the exchange visits in year one suggested that they were too short and rushed. In the second year the exchange visits were extended by a day and included the addition of the environmental trip, which in the first year was a separate activity. In the first exchange visit in year two some students found it hard to form relationships until they participated in the sports activities which were held on the final day. Feedback from students suggested that they would have been more comfortable if sports had been played on day one. This advice was adhered to for the final exchange visit, where sports activities were held after an initial ice breaker activity. Student Tourism Booklet After the exchange visits were completed pupils contributed towards a booklet that highlighted the attractions in their local area. This encouraged pupils to think about what makes their local area special and what would encourage others to visit. This activity was to create a sense of citizenship and belonging amongst students. Pupils worked alongside their mentors in small groups to identify an attraction or area to visit. Pupils wrote positively about that place, including a memoir of their own personal experience if this was somewhere that they had visited previously. This has been produced as a bilingual booklet, and as an electronic version, which can be viewed on the CROIS website (www.crois.eu). Focus Groups Focus groups were held with pupils from each school involved in CROIS, to gather information on pupils feelings towards going to university, how they feel about school and their attitudes towards where they live. The focus groups were small, with one researcher and between three and 6 pupils at each one. A separate focus group was held for each year group. In total 23 pupils from England and 24 pupils from France participated in focus groups. Qualitative data drawn from these focus groups will be analysed and reported in a peer reviewed journal 43 P a g e

45 Feedback from pupils after CROIS exchange trip and mentoring activities Pupils were given the opportunity to feed back on their experiences of the CROIS project in a number of different ways, including questionnaires, student advisory boards and conversations with mentors and researchers. Overall, responses to the CROIS activities and exchange visits were positive, with pupils enjoying both the social aspects of the exchange visits and the opportunity to practice their language skills. "I enjoyed practicing my English Male pupil, Lycée Jean-Baptiste Delambre Cross border learning of language and culture Pupils enjoyed undertaking activities they would not normally do and visiting places they would not normally see. I enjoyed experiencing things that I wouldn t normally get a chance to, such as seeing the battlefields and the war museum Male pupil, Isle of Sheppey Academy Common interests/ Cross border learning of language and culture Pupils were positive about the mentors and the information they learnt about university as a result of spending time with the mentors. Feedback from teachers was that some mentors were still being talked about months after the final visit to the school. 5. My favourite thing was just getting to know more about the mentors and their university life Female pupil, Sittingbourne Community College 6. Raising Aspirations P a g e

47 5. Parents One aim of the CROIS project was to increase parents engagement with their child s school, and also to improve parental attitudes towards further education. Focus groups and family engagement events were held in each country in year one to encourage parental input and to gather parent s views. Focus groups were undertaken with between five and six parents from both of the English schools, where parents discussed their own experience of education and their aspirations for their child. Many of the parents had a negative attitude towards education in general, since their experience of school was not a positive one. Views about university were mixed, although many parents had seen negative press about university students struggling to find jobs. For a lot of the pupils involved in CROIS, if they were to attend university they would be the first in their family, so changing parental perceptions is an important task. Parental feedback from the focus groups was that they did not really enjoy discussing these topics with researchers who they didn t know. Teachers felt that they were in a better position than the researchers to effectively engage the parents and families. For this reason the role of liaising with parents and engaging them with the project was passed to the teachers, in order to effectively utilise the relationships that already existed between these groups. In addition to the focus groups and engagement events, parents were invited to attend an information evening prior to the pupils foreign exchange visit. These were held in each school before the exchanges, so in total four were held in France (one at each school in each year) and three were held in England (one in each school in year one and just one in year two). Parental attendance varied from five or six parents at some events, to ten at others. Some parents who were unable to attend spoke to teachers on the phone instead. These information evenings were designed to share the trip itinerary with parents, inform them what their child needed to bring with them and to answer any questions that parents may have and to alleviate any fears. It also gave parents the opportunity to meet the research team who would be leading the exchange visits. 47 P a g e

49 6. Change in Schools After the first year of the CROIS project, Sittingbourne Community College withdrew their involvement from the project. The school experiencing a number of challenges and changes, had involvement from Ofsted 3 at this point and the head teacher did not feel that the school were in a position to devote the time and resources to the CROIS project. In response to Sittingbourne s withdrawal from the project, the Isle of Sheppey Academy identified a second group of pupils for the mentor activities and exchanges in the second year of the project. This meant that all of the English pupils involved in the second year of the project were from the Isle of Sheppey Academy. This additional input ensured that the project was still able to go ahead with full pupil numbers in the second year. 3 Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) is the government department responsible for school inspections 49 P a g e

51 7. Research In addition to the exchanges and mentors activities, an aim of the CROIS project was to gain information about French and English pupils behaviour, attitudes towards school and university and their motivation to learn. The researchers involved in the CROIS project were specifically interested in two aspects of the pupils experience: 1. The relationship between social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBDs), motivation and academic self-concept in adolescence 2. The effect that contact with pupils from another country had on perceptions of one another. Information in respect of each of these aspects is summarised below 5. SEBDs, motivation and academic self-concept Method To investigate the relationship between SEBDs, motivation and academic self-concept a questionnaire booklet was developed that covered these areas. Researchers attended school lessons and asked pupils to complete the questionnaire booklet, helping to explain words where these were not understood. If pupils did not want to complete the questionnaires they were asked to carry on with their work quietly. All pupils that chose to complete a questionnaire booklet completed the same three questionnaires (details of these are below). Participants A total of 1516 pupils from England and France were involved in this research. French English Age Males Females Males Females Total Table 3. Number of participants completing the About Me, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Academic Motivation Scale 5 Articles disseminating the CROIS research findings have been written up for publication in peer reviewed journals. 51 P a g e

53 Questionnaires Three questionnaires were included in the research; 1. The About Me (Maras, 2007), measures social identity (to what extent pupils identify with their family, peers and school), academic self-concept (pupils attitudes towards school and their performance) and general self-worth (pupils self-esteem). 2. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ, Goodman, 1997), measures emotional symptoms, conduct/behavioural problems, hyperactivity, peer relationship problems and prosocial behaviour (e.g. helping behaviour). 3. Academic Motivation Scale (AMS, Vallerand et al, 1992), measures pupils motivation towards school and assesses whether they are motivated or unmotivated. All measures used in the research were available in English and French. Research questions The specific research questions of interest were: Results 1. What is the relationship between pupil motivation, behavioural difficulties, social identification and academic self-concept? 2. Are there cross cultural differences in antisocial behaviour and motivation in school? 3. Do these relationships differ with age? Relationship between SEBDs, motivation and academic self-concept : In both countries pupils reporting greater behavioural difficulties were more likely to report low identity with family. In addition these children had lower academic self-concept. These results support previous research which suggests greater behavioural problems predict poorer academic self-concept (Maras, 2012). Academic self-concept has been found to be linked to performance in and experience of school and future aspirations such as toward going to university. Pupils motivation towards school was related to greater pro-social behaviour, higher aspirations towards further education and high academic self-concept. Pupils who were not motivated to attend school reported more social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and lower levels of academic selfconcept. 53 P a g e

55 Country Comparisons: English pupils reported a greater number of emotional, peer and hyperactivity problems than those from France, whilst French pupils reported higher levels of pro-social behaviour. These results are displayed in figure 18. French pupils also reported higher levels of general self-worth. In France, pupils with disruptive behaviour are less likely to be included in mainstream classes so these differences in SEBDs may reflect French policy, rather than a greater prevalence of this behaviour in the UK Behaviour problems for French and English pupils English French Emotional Problems Hyperactivity Peer Problems Prosocial Behaviour Figure 18. Behavioural problems for French and English pupils Age Effects: In the English sample hyperactivity and behaviour problems declined as the children got older. Pupils in both England and France reported reduced motivation, academic self-concept and identification with school at age 16. These findings are significant as, at this age (16), young people are required to make important decisions at a time when their motivation and academic self-concept are at a low. These results support previous research regarding the year 10 effect (Maras, Carmichael, Patel & Wills, 2007), which showed reduced levels of school identity and academic selfconcept at this age. 55 P a g e

57 Pupils perceptions of one another Method To examine how the relationships between pupils from different countries and their perceptions of each other changed over the course of the project, pupils completed a questionnaire before and after the exchange visits. Pupils who were engaged in the CROIS activities completed a questionnaire on the morning of the first exchange visit and then once again at the end of the final exchange visit. Participants A total of 137 pupils were involved in the research. This is lower than the 160 involved in the project as a whole as some pupils did not want to complete the measures and some were not present at both time points. Males Females Total French English Table 4. Research participants completing contact questionnaires Questionnaire Pupils completed the contact questionnaire (Stathi, Crisp & Hogg 2011) which included questions regarding pupils impressions of people from the partner country, their confidence in conversing, their perception of personality traits and how they viewed their relationship with people from the partner country. This questionnaire measured the extent that engaging in cooperative activities improved pupils perceptions of one another and the relationships between French and English pupils. Each pupil completed this questionnaire before the first exchange visit and after the last exchange visits to evidence change in pupils feelings and opinions over the course of the CROIS project. In the first year of the project the exchange was first held in England and then in France. In the second year this was reversed. Perceptions of pupils from partner country Results demonstrated that perceptions of pupils from the partner country were higher at the end of the project than they were at the beginning. This change in perceptions can be seen in Figure 19. The greatest change was seen when pupils had first contact in their own country and travelled abroad for the second exchange visit. These results suggest that pupils felt more comfortable with their foreign counterparts when they first met in familiar surroundings. 57 P a g e

59 Perception of Pupils from partner country Before exchanges 6.6 After Exchanges 7.2 Figure 19. Change in English pupils perceptions of pupils from France. Communication French pupils reported more confidence communicating with the English pupils if the first exchange was held in France compared to when it was held in England first. Although English pupils reported an increase in confidence communicating this was not statistically significant. This result suggests that pupils were more comfortable and therefore more confident if they first met in familiar surroundings. Personality When asked to rate personality traits for people from the other country on a scale from suspicious to trusting, English pupils responses positively increased over time. There was no significant change for the French pupils. This demonstrates that engaging in cooperative activities improved pupils attitudes towards one another. Relationships Pupils were asked to think about both their relationship with people from the partner country, and how they perceived relationships to be between French and English people generally. Results indicated English pupils perceptions of relationships increased over time, suggesting that the exchange programme positively benefited their relationships and opinions of French people. Figure 20 shows these changes in perception over time. No significant changes were seen for the French pupils. 59 P a g e

61 Changes in perception of relationships Your relationship with French pupils English relationship with French generally Before exchanges After exchanges Figure 20. English pupils perceptions of relationships with French people, before and after the CROIS exchange visits. 61 P a g e

63 8. Benefits of CROIS Benefit to Pupils Questionnaires To provide evidence of the effectiveness of the CROIS interventions, outcomes for the CROIS project pupils were compared to a group of pupils that did not participate in the project. To ensure that CROIS pupils were being compared to a group of similar pupils, the non CROIS pupils were the same age, sex and from the same school as the CROIS pupils. Pupils questionnaire responses from after the CROIS intervention were compared to a group of students who had no input from the CROIS project. Several differences between those pupils who had engaged with the CROIS activities and those who had not were highlighted Hyperactivity in CROIS and non CROIS Pupils 4.0 Hyperactivity 4.7 CROIS Non Figure 21. Self-reported hyperactivity problems for CROIS and non CROIS pupils Figure 21 demonstrates that CROIS pupils reported fewer hyperactivity problems than those that did not participate. 63 P a g e

65 Peer Problems in CROIS and non CROIS Pupils CROIS Non 0.0 Peer problems Figure 22. Peer Problems in CROIS and non CROIS pupils Figure 22 demonstrates that CROIS pupils reported fewer peer problems than those who did not participate in the programme University Perceptions in CROIS and non CROIS Pupils 3.9 Perceptions of attending university CROIS Non 3.6 Figure 23. University perceptions in CROIS and non CROIS pupils Figure 23 displays pupils perceptions towards attending university. These were significantly higher for the group that engaged with CROIS activities, suggesting that working with university mentors and organising visits to universities may positively benefit young people s aspirations to go to university. This is in line with previous research evaluating Aimhigher (Hatt, Baxter and Tate, 2007), which showed that working with university ambassadors increased pupils interest towards university. 65 P a g e

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